Masters Of War

Come you masters of war You that build all the guns You that build the death planes You that build all the bombs You that hide behind walls You that hide behind desks I just want you to know I can see through your masks. You that never done nothin' But build to destroy You play with my world Like it's your little toy You put a gun in my hand And you hide from my eyes And you turn and run farther When the fast bullets fly. Like Judas of old You lie and deceive A world war can be won You want me to believe But I see through your eyes And I see through your brain Like I see through the water That runs down my drain. You fasten all the triggers For the others to fire Then you set back and watch When the death count gets higher You hide in your mansion' As young people's blood Flows out of their bodies And is buried in the mud. You've thrown the worst fear That can ever be hurled Fear to bring children Into the world For threatening my baby Unborn and unnamed You ain't worth the blood That runs in your veins. How much do I know To talk out of turn You might say that I'm young You might say I'm unlearned But there's one thing I know Though I'm younger than you That even Jesus would never Forgive what you do. Let me ask you one question Is your money that good Will it buy you forgiveness Do you think that it could I think you will find When your death takes its toll All the money you made Will never buy back your soul. And I hope that you die And your death'll come soon I will follow your casket In the pale afternoon And I'll watch while you're lowered Down to your deathbed And I'll stand over your grave 'Til I'm sure that you're dead.------- Bob Dylan 1963

The map below is a picture of an interactive graphic from the New York Times which was developed from the report which shows the percentage chance that someone born into the lowest quintile might reach the top quintile by adulthood; in the darkest red shade, that chance is less than 4%, and includes several pockets in the South, including Atlanta at 4% and the Memphis environs at 2.6%; those in the lighter red shadings, including much of the South and Detroit at 5.1%, Cleveland at 5.2%, and Chicago at 6.1% all have less than 10% chance of rising to the top fifth from the bottom...the yellow shading, including most of the rural areas and cities such as Salt Lake at 11.5% and San Francisco at 5.2%, all have upward mobility chances greater that 10%, while those in green with a 20% chance of making it to the top include some smaller western plains cities such as Casper Wyoming at 19% and Yankton S. Dakota at 22.8%...and in a telling revelation not specifically noted in any of the literature but clearly obvious on the map, children born dirt poor in the western counties of North Dakota shown in blue as have as much as a 35% chance of reaching the top quintile, with those born in the heart of the Bakken oil field in Williston North Dakota having a 33.1% chance of earning top bucks as adults despite being born into families at the bottom. Via R.J. Sigmund.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Gruesome photos show Marines torching dead Iraqi insurgents: report - NY Daily News: "The U.S. military is investigating new gruesome photos that reportedly show Marines burning dead bodies in Iraq.The disturbing images were shot in Fallujah in 2004, according to TMZ, which said it published only eight of 41 pictures.Some show a Marine pouring gasoline on the bodies of slain Iraqi insurgents.Another shows a Marine posing for the camera next to a skull."

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Obama's Democratic friends in the Senate are even more obsequious to the Israelis than he is. Hisstruggle to prevent Senate Democrats from backing strict new sanctions that could upend his diplomatic efforts is casting a long shadow over talks with Iran. Link

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Hubble Photographs Universe's Oldest Galaxies: "Photographs showing objects from the first billion years after the big bang have been taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.It has glimpsed further away into the universe than any observatory before it to produce six new "deep field" images.The photos used a 50-hour exposure to gather enough light, revealing galaxies that may be more than 12 billion light-years away.Project leader Jennifer Lotz said: "It is the deepest view of the universe ever taken."

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

The incompetence of US foreign policy is there for anyone to see all over the world. It is nowhere more blatant than in Syria/Iraq where the AQ rebels in the FSA America has armed are joining with the Iraqi AQ rebels they failed to defeat. Obama talked about the 'New Iraq' in the midst of the Mission Accompished spin which accompanied the US withdrawal, tail between legs, from Iraq. Its new now alright. Maliki, America's surrogate, continues to pursue his inept revenge against Sunnis and in the process is losing major cities in the West of Iraq to Islamists who are now joining forces with their brothers from Syria. American response is to provide more weapons. A bigger mess would be difficult to invent.

Saturday, January 4, 2014

"Although most countries have their own celebrated newsreaders and commentators, in the US, the anchorman has traditionally been regarded as a sort of village explainer, rising above the machinistic fray, providing clarity, reassurance and wisdom. Long before the arrival of television, Americans always responded favourably to those who ministered to the national psyche. As befits a country that began as a religious experiment – and which, despite the church/state separation embodied in the Constitution, harbours a curious belief that we are God’s preferred nation – the most revered American presidents (Lincoln, Roosevelt, even Washington) are seen as father figures who embodied those virtues that we like to think define the soul of the nation: independence, integrity, moral rectitude. (In reality, despite our talk of family and community, the US still largely operates according to the rules of social Darwinism.)"

Visitor Map

Who-When, Where,How ? ? ? ?

Fair Use Disclaimer, US Copyright Law

This blog may contain copyrighted material, the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. All posts are clearly attributed by name and active link to the original author and website. I am making such material available on a non-profit basis for educational, research and discussion purposes in my efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. I believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in US Copyright Law, Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107. Consistent with this notice you are welcome to make 'fair use' of anything you find on this web site. However, if you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.More information at http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml.